Skeptoid on Rhino Horn

In the mid 2000s, a rumor circulated that an unnamed politician in Vietnam had been cured of cancer by consuming powdered rhino horn. Fast forward 17 years, and rhino horn is now worth around $25,000/pound on the black market. That rhino that was shot by poachers and had its horn removed with a chainsaw in the middle of the night at the French zoo a few months ago? Its horn was like a quarter-million-dollar pile of gold sitting out in the open.

Not only is there NO science on the anti-carcinogenic properties of the keratin in rhino horn (chemically the same as your own fingernails), the belief isn’t even derived from ancient Chinese health literature. All of this literally stems from one rumor gone viral, combined with public willingness to buy into rumor as truth. Rhino species are going extinct rapidly, and poaching is a huge part of the reason why.

The Skeptoid podcast is one of our national treasures, as far as I’m concerned. This episode is particularly good.

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One thought on “Skeptoid on Rhino Horn”

Rhino’s are my favorite animals and I cannot believe that someone would do something like that! All because of someone who had money heard a rumor, that is ridiculous, he should spend his money to better support a research in curing his disease instead.